The Chimeriad, the Bears and the Evil Spirit
by Yume Hanabi
Summary: Gaius and the Chimeriad bear the burden of protecting a small clan against a most formidable foe.
1. The Visitor from the North

This is what happens when you mix discussions about worldbuilding, Tales cameo, and what kind of sidequests could happen on a Gaius side.

As always, I'm using some original terms: Ajur=Auj Oule, Khan Baliq=Kanbalar

The Poru people substitute "be" for "have" in the present perfect. Bear with me on that.

Many thanks to Cal for the help, ideas, and invaluable support!

* * *

 **Chapter One: The Chimeriad and the Visitor from the North**

The sun was setting over the snowy peaks of Ajur. The white scenery below him was now glowing in reddish colors, reflecting the dying sunlight in every direction. The beauty of the view did not escape the king, but his mind was otherwise preoccupied. They had made too many stops on the way, wasted too much time. It would not be long before the mountains were engulfed in darkness. He gripped his wyvern's reigns tighter, willing it to fly a little faster. He faintly heard a protesting sound behind him at the increased speed, and silently apologized to his uncomfortable passenger. This was her first flight, and the experience was rough on her; in fact, she had been the reason for most of their stops. He felt a pang of sympathy for her, as he knew airsickness was not easy to overcome in one day. Nevertheless, they had no choice. They needed to press forward quickly if they wanted to avoid camping on some remote summit. The climes were getting warmer in this season, but temperatures were still freezing at night in the mountains, and none of them was equipped to spend the night in the harsh cold. They had to reach their destination as soon as possible.

He caught up with his guide, whose wyvern, an old beast who looked about to drop from the sky at any moment, was vigorously flapping her wings to stay ahead of her younger fellows. He made a note to bring her treats after this whole ordeal was over. If she did not keel over before that, anyway.

"Are we still far?" he shouted.

The wind muffled the other man's answer, but his outstretched arm was pointing to an oddly-shaped peak in the distance. Good. They might be able to reach it before the sun had completely set. Reassured, he fell back in line with his other companions. On his right, Jiao was riding alone on his personal wyvern, an enormous beast twice the size of regular ones—a rare species, apparently on the brink of extension, which the Kitarl clan was trying to preserve through a complex breeding program. Clad in his heavy fur coat, the giant seemed to withstand the rapidly dropping temperatures with little discomfort. Glancing to his left, he expected to find Wingul and Presa in a very different state, but he was pleasantly surprised to see that they were holding up well. Judging from the faint glow englobing them both, Presa, who was holding tight to Wingul from behind, had cast a warming arte around them. In the two years he'd known her, her mastery of spirit artes had always impressed him. His own passenger, the latest addition to their team, was clinging to him, her small body pressed against his back. He hoped he was at least shielding her from the prickly wind.

 _Just a little longer, Agria. We'll be there soon._

* * *

It had all started the previous day, when, in the middle of audiences, they had been alerted by a loud crash coming from the courtyard. He had sent Jiao and Wingul out first to investigate while he wrapped up his meeting, and when he finally joined them outside, the sight that greeted him was quite peculiar. He had a feeling then that their monotone routine of the past few months was about to be broken.

Jiao was tending to a frail-looking old wyvern while Wingul was berating a young man—most likely the rider—about illegal overflight of the castle. The man, who looked to be no older than twenty and was dressed in furs, was kneeling before him and seemed to be confounding himself in excuses, though his thick accent made it difficult to make out what he was mumbling exactly.

"Let off, Wingul," Jiao interrupted. "This poor old gal was exhausted and nearly passed out mid-flight. It's a miracle she managed to crash-land without any injury. Yer a good gal," he added, petting the beast's head gently. She rumbled with contentment.

"Thank you thank you thank you…" the young man said, turning to Jiao.

Wingul paused, analyzing the situation. "Fine. Let's class it as an accident," he resumed with a sigh. "State your name and purpose."

"N-Name?" the man repeated, before bowing down and announcing in a loud voice "I am Oleg, son of Olav of the Poru tribe. I am come to see Ahmad, His Majesty, king most revered!"

He bowed deeper when he realized all eyes were now on him.

The speechless silence that followed was only interrupted when Agria, who had followed Gaius outside with Presa, could no longer contain her curiosity.

"Who?"

"King Ahmad Sarakhs," Presa whispered hurriedly in response. "A previous king of Ajur."

Wingul glanced at Gaius, disbelief evident on his face, before he turned back to the man.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. King Ahmad passed away a long time ago."

Oleg's face fell.

"B-But gramps told me to find Ahmad His Majesty. What should I do now?"

"Why do you want to see him anyway?" Wingul questioned him further.

"Gramps told me he could help us, because he's the king of Ajur, most revered." Oleg added proudly: "Gramps met him when he was young!"

"And how old is your grandfather?"

"He'll be 113 this year!"

"That explains it," Wingul muttered. Turning back to Gaius, he gave him a look that meant _'It's in your hands now.'_

Gaius stepped forward and spoke to the young man.

"King Ahmad died three decades ago, and I, Gaius, took the throne from his son Merad nine years ago. If it is the king of Ajur you seek, I shall hear what you have come to say."

Eyes wide, Oleg crawled toward him and prostrated himself at his feet.

"Gaius, Your Majesty, king most revered! Please help our tribe!"

Oleg's story was hard to follow, but if he understood correctly, it was about an evil spirit, a mating season (?), ecological disasters, and a menace to the world. And something about ex-bears, but he was not sure what that meant.

The possibility of an evil spirit threatening the world was concerning enough that Gaius decided to go in person and—since things were rather calm in the capital these days—he decided to bring the whole Chimeriad with him. After all, they did not know what kind of menace they were up against this time, and while he was confident he could take out any army, evil spirits were new to him. It was better to be prudent and bring strong allies along.

* * *

It was well past dark when they finally landed, but fortunately the villagers had anticipated their arrival and lit a little clearing with torches, enabling them to maneuver to the ground safely. About a dozen people had gathered at the sound of wings flapping, and awe could be seen on every face lit by the fires.

They disembarked, a little disoriented by the long flight, and Agria immediately ran to the nearest bush.

"Do you even have anything left in your stomach?" Presa called to her.

"Shut up, hag," was the only response.

"You don't look too good yourself," Wingul remarked. "Did I fly too roughly?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm just tired. I used too much mana, that's all."

"Your arte was appreciated," Wingul thanked her. She gave him a small smile in return, and they then turned their attention to the small group of villagers who had gathered around Oleg, who was recounting his arrival to the capital to them.

The man who approached them next introduced himself as Olav, son of Olven, chief of the Poru tribe, and invited them to lodge in his house for the duration of their stay. He had the same accent as his son.

"We're a small village, you see," he explained on the way. "There isn't any inn or anything like that for visitors, but my house is the largest in the village. My wife, Olga, is making beds for all of you as we are speaking."

"Thank you for your consideration."

"Not at all! It's rare to see outsiders here, so we're happy to welcome you, especially since you're come to save us," Olav replied brightly. "We're pretty isolated, so you best prepare to be the young'uns' attraction for a while," he added with a deep chuckle.

Isolated was one way to put it. The village, roughly at half a day's flight North-West of Khan Baliq, was situated in a valley deep into the Altai Mountain Range and seemed to be secluded from the rest of civilization. In fact, up to the previous day, Gaius had had no idea the area was even inhabited. He had never heard of the Poru tribe, and Wingul had not been able to dig anything from the tribe census archives. He wondered if the place was even accessible without wyverns. That would explain why there was no mention of them anywhere.

"I hope dinner'll be served soon, because I'm starving!" announced Agria.

"The contrary would shock me, considering you couldn't keep down your lunch," Presa teased.

"Ha ha, well, if she's hungry, it must mean she's feeling better now. That's good to hear. It'll all be forgotten after a good night's rest."

"Jiao is right," Gaius added. "We should take it easy tonight and take the opportunity to rest and recuperate."

His words were met with a chorus of "Yes, Your Highness" just as they reached a large building. It was hard to make out the contours in the dark, but the place seemed imposing.

"We're here," Olav told them.

The interior of the house was made of wood. It was a single large square room, with a hearth in the center, somewhat like in the village of Maxwell worshippers, and wooden partitions were separating the different areas of the room. Those partitions were decorated with what seemed to be, upon closer inspection, paintings of bears. The floor of the resting area they were led to by a jovial woman named Olga was covered in fur mats. Gaius realized as he sat down that the partitions were not the only bear-themed decorations in the house. The ceiling beams were engraved with bear faces, and little bear statuettes were lining up the window sills. There was also a rather hideous bear head hung right above the entrance door.

The room was well-heated, and they all removed their coats, welcoming the warmth. Agria's face, in particular, seemed to regain colors over time, and even Wingul could not resist letting out a small sigh of relief as he sat down next to him. The journey had been trying, and they were all glad to finally sit on the ground, in a warm house, with the delicious smell of their upcoming dinner filling the air. He himself had to admit he was tired and hungry.

They were joined for dinner by Oleg and his grandfather, who was ecstatic to meet 'Ahmad, His Majesty, king most revered!' again.

"You're gotten younger than the last time I saw you," he told Gaius, teary-eyed.

"That's 'cause he's not the same king, gramps," Oleg explained, laughing.

It took some time to get it through the old man that Gaius was, in fact, a completely different person than the then young king Ahmad he had met 92 years ago, but in the end he seemed to accept it, and proceeded to entertain his guests with tales of his youth. This is how they learned that Aya, the old wyvern that had bravely carried Oleg both ways, had been a present from King Ahmad himself. She had since been the village's only mean of transport to other places, which they sometimes used to stock on supplies. The village was otherwise quite self-sufficient, and they rarely had any contact with outside tribes. Visitors were even rarer, though according to Oleg a young girl speaking a strange language had come with her mother to settle in three years prior and was allegedly monopolizing all of his brother's time.

Gaius thought he could listen to the family's stories all evening, but he decided to call it a night when Agria nearly fell asleep into her porridge bowl. Presa was also too tired to tease her about it, and he could see that Wingul was fighting sleep as well, even as he asked questions about the tribe's situation. There would be time for more questions in the coming days. For now, it was better to rest.

They all snuggled comfortably in the beds that had been laid out for them in a corner of the house, with a large partition offering them some privacy. The partition's painted bears seemed to be looking over them as they fell asleep.

That night, Gaius dreamed he was a bear gallivanting around forests and rivers, rolling down hills and basking in moonlight. It was quite a pleasant dream, until dark clouds gathered above his head without warning and unleashed a fury of rain and thunder upon him.

He woke up suddenly, drenched in sweat, his heart pounding in his chest. A quick glance around him showed him that his companions were all awake as well, and all had the same shocked look on their faces.

In the distance, he could hear thunder rumbling.


	2. The Poru Tribe

**Chapter Two: The Chimeriad and the Poru Tribe**

Despite their startled awakening in the middle of the night, they found themselves well rested when they got up in the morning. Blue sky and sunshine had replaced the storm clouds, and the smell of wet grass filled the air outside. They walked around the village to get a better idea of their surroundings. The houses were built in the same style as Olav's, with thick wooden walls and thatched roofs. All were square, of different sizes, except one round building in the middle of the village, which they later learned was an assembly hall. One slightly unnerving detail they had failed to notice the night before was that at both sides of each entrance stood two bear statues in aggressive poses. The village was bordered by a river, and small fields and rice paddies were scattered around the houses. A little further away, they could see woods that went up the mountainside.

As it was still early, there were not many people around, but the few that were looked at them with wide eyes and whispered to each other excitedly.

"I feel like a celebrity," Agria remarked.

"These people are not used to outsiders," Jiao commented, "and besides, we came to them in a time of need. They must be very grateful to see us."

"Speaking of which… Am I the only one who is still not quite sure what they need us for?"

"I don't think anyone here understood Oleg's jumbled speech, Presa," Wingul answered. "All we know is that it seems quite serious."

"We will have to ask Olav later for precisions."

But when they went back to their host's house, Olav was nowhere to be seen.

"Ma and Pa went out to tend to the fields," Oleg informed them. "Ma said to bring breakfast to my bro and his girl and eat at his house," he added, brandishing a large basket.

Oleg's brother lived in the smallest house of the village and, interestingly, the only one without any bear statue. The inside was stacked with books of all kinds, which elicited a small noise of appreciation from Presa. Its owner was a tall teenager with long hair tied in a ponytail. He introduced himself as Eleek, son of Olav, and invited them to sit down as Oleg unpacked the contents of the basket.

"You should're come yesterday, bro."

"I told you I was busy. I haven't finished my first draft yet."

Compared to his family, Eleek's accent was not as pronounced.

"My bro is trying to apply to… what's it called again?"

"A university," Eleek sighed. "You should try to remember what I tell you once in a while."

"He can read and write!" Oleg added proudly. "He wanna become a 'sai-en-teest'!"

"If that is the case, you should come to Khan Baliq. I shall introduce you to the best tutors."

"That would be an honor, Your Highness," Eleek bowed to him.

"Ha! Finally someone who speaks normally!"

"Agria, don't be rude."

"By the way, where's your girl? I thought she'd be here."

"She's not _my_ girl!" Eleek's cheeks reddened a little. He called out loudly, "Nalr! Breakfast is ready!"

"You bet!" came the reply from behind a pile of books. A girl with dark skin and puffy pigtails emerged, rubbing her eyes.

"Nalr is tired," she complained. "But hungry," she added, eyeing the egg rolls with sudden interest.

"This is Nalr," Oleg said, "the girl I told you about yesterday. She can't speak our language, so Eleek is teaching her. Her mother could, but she only spoke to her in their weird tongue."

"'Could?' What happened to her?"

"She got ill," he said sympathetically. "So now Nalr is our responsibility."

"Let's eat!" the girl interrupted. "Nalr is hungry!"

They helped themselves to the breakfast Olga had kindly prepared for them. The food reminded Gaius a little of what he used to eat when he was young. His hometown had also been up in the mountains under similar climes, so the ingredients available to them were very much alike.

" _It is delicious!_ " Nalr exclaimed.

It took him a moment to realize she had spoken in another language. The others' confused looks were the only indication she had not been understood by the majority, but it was when he saw Wingul's dumbfounded face that he understood. Long Dau. She had spoken Long Dau.

" _What… What did you just say?_ " Wingul asked her, his voice shaking slightly.

Hearing him, the girl jumped up, surprise evident on her face, and started talking excitedly, too fast for Gaius to follow.

" _Baiba! Yaio waem spun'ek tuya lemugoegun'!? Tete baes tian' imluya imun' bāi waiolud omdun'distiemud tun'!"_

" _Yaio… Bāi edin yaio?"_

"You can understand her?" Oleg asked, impressed. "Wow, people from the capital are so smart."

Wingul ignored him and questioned the girl again about her origins. They let the two of them discuss in their mother tongue and enjoyed the rest of their breakfast answering Eleek's questions about the outside world.

"By the way," Agria asked during a lull in the conversation, voicing the question they were all wondering about, "what's the deal with all the bears?"

Even Wingul interrupted his conversation with Nalr to listen to Eleek's answer.

"People here worship bears," he explained. "In other places, you worship spirits, don't you? Here it is bears that are considered sacred. The villagers all believe that they will reincarnate into bears when they die."

"You speak as if you don't share that belief."

"It is merely a myth. I would never believe something so unscientific."

"Don't say that!" Oleg reproached, clearly upset. "You will anger the great bear goddess."

"Oleg, there is no bear goddess. They are just animals like dogs and chickens. There is nothing mystical about them."

"You say that because you're not _dreamed_ yet. You'll see, your mind will change after that."

The topic was clearly a point of contention in their family.

"Bears are cute," Nalr interjected helpfully.

"That reminds me of my youth in the Kitarl clan," Jiao recalled fondly. "Some believed that spirits inhabited animals, while others argued that animals, monsters and spirits were unrelated species. I used to play with the wolf statuettes my mom had carved for me when I was born. She said they would bring good fortune…"

"I have a hard time imagining you as a little boy," Presa told him jokingly.

"Ha ha, well, even as a boy I was not exactly 'little,' you know," he laughed. Then, turning to Oleg, added, "I suppose the bear statues in your home have similar meanings?"

"Yes! The bears on the window invite fortune, and those at the entrance repel misfortune."

"What about that ugly ass head above the door?" Agria asked.

"It's to scare children into behaving," Eleek answered.

"Right! You were always so scared of that one," Oleg laughed. "You were like, 'Big brother, the mean bear is looking at me' and clinged to me all teary-eyed."

"That was ages ago!" Eleek protested, reddening.

Intrigued by their animated conversation, Nalr asked Wingul to translate, which he obliged. His surprise gone, he now seemed happy to have found one of the rare Long Dau speakers left in this world.

"I won't deny that bears are important to this valley's ecology, but that doesn't make them special. Howe's theory on spirits is a lot more compelling. You would see that too if you only took the time to learn to read, big brother."

"Bears are sacred," Oleg repeated obstinately. "That's why you must save them," he added, turning to Gaius with a serious expression.

"Could you perhaps re-explain what exactly you need us to do? I am afraid we did not understand everything."

"I knew it," Eleek groaned, hiding his face in his hands. "This is why we should have sent someone else. It's a miracle you managed to convince them to come. If only I could ride a wyvern…"

"Well you can explain now if you want," Oleg shrugged.

With a sigh, Eleek turned to Gaius and exposed the situation.

"An evil spirit seems to have taken residence in the forest. Well, the villagers think it's an evil spirit, or a witch or something like that. I don't believe in that stuff, but it's undeniable that _something_ is out there and is causing harm to the wildlife. Many bears have been spotted injured, as if they'd been beaten up by something unnatural. Many are now too afraid to leave their dens, which is problematic considering we're right in the middle of mating season. This could have considerable impact on the valley's ecological balance if their population were to dwindle. My friend Dier, our best hunter, went into the woods to investigate, but he hasn't been back since. Whatever that thing is, it is a menace that must be stopped."

"This isn't the first time it happened either," Oleg added. "You were too young to remember, bro, but the same thing happened fifteen years ago. The demon fortunately didn't stay long back then, but the aftermath was terrible. It took two years for the bears to finally dare get out again. I remember dad saying the end of the world was approaching. And now it came back." He shuddered, horrified at the prospect.

"So, if I am getting this right, you want us to go to the forest and expel that evil spirit?"

"Yes! Please! I beg you, Gaius, Your Majesty, king most revered!" Oleg prostrated himself at his feet again.

"You don't have to do that every time."

"Y-Yes, Gaius, Your Majes—"

"Oleg, enough," Eleek interrupted, before addressing Gaius as well, "Our fate is in your hands, Your Highness."

"' _Esun'."_ Nalr bowed her head as well. She had not followed the entire conversation, as Wingul had been too focused on listening to translate, but she understood the gravity of the situation.

"Do you know where the demon is located?" Wingul asked, switching immediately into strategist mode.

"We have a vague idea. Come out, we'll show you."

After getting directions from the brothers, it was decided that they would spend the day preparing for the hike through the woods and the battle to come. They would depart the next morning at dawn.

Jiao went to inspect the trail with Agria while Gaius gathered more information about the valley's situation. He spent the afternoon talking to villagers, even joining children in a game of _'Tag, you're bear!'_ which immediately made him very popular among the local youth. Although he had not known of their existence until recently, those people were part of his country and it was his duty to listen to their concerns and think of ways to improve their living conditions—after they were done with the menace immediately threatening their valley, anyway. At the very least, he would have to ask Jiao to send them a couple of younger wyverns, for old Aya's sake.

Meanwhile, Presa went back to Eleek's house to inspect his collection of books, and Wingul allowed himself a break from strategy planning to talk to Nalr some more. Gaius later learned from him that the girl's mother had been born in Long Dau nobility but had fled the court sixteen years ago when her husband betrayed the clan. She was then pregnant with Nalr, and later raised her on her own in the wilderness until they found the Poru village. Considering the timing, they deduced that Nalr's father had been one of the Long Dau men who had defected to Gaius after Lars Long Dau's death, although they were not sure of who he was and if he was still alive, as Nalr did not know her father's name. Even nearly ten years after the Dawn of Ajur, Gaius was still confronted with the direct repercussions of his rebellion. He promised Nalr to find out more about her father once they went back home.

After dinner, they all went to bed early in anticipation to the day to come.

"So, the big battle is near," Agria stated. "We're gonna kick that demon's ass!" She tried to sound excited, but Gaius noticed the hint of tension in her voice. She was putting up a strong front, but she must have been worried. Gaius himself did not feel completely at ease. An evil spirit that harmed anyone or anything that entered the forest was worrying in its own right. Despite preparing to the best of their abilities, they had no idea what they were actually up against.

"Tomorrow, we will find out whether the village's superstitions about evil spirits are true," Presa pondered aloud.

"Oh, I can _bearly_ wait," Gaius replied humorously to dispel the tension. They all groaned in unison (though he was sure he could hear muffled giggles coming from Agria's side) and he felt Wingul's elbow jab him in the ribs. He nearly scolded him for this public display of familiarity, but he realized that no one had probably noticed, given how close they were next to each other. Olav's house was large by the village standards, but when you factored Jiao into the mix, space quickly became restricted.

That night, he dreamed he was a bear again, but this time he was not alone. Four bear cubs were huddling up against him, trembling, as a sinister laugh echoed through the valley.

* * *

 **Long Dau Translations:**

"Baiba! Yaio waem spun'ek tuya lemugoegun'!? Tete baes tian' imluya imun' bāi waiolud omdun'distiemud tun'!" = "Wow! You can speak my language!? Mama was the only one who could understand me!"

"Yaio… Bāi edin yaio?" = "You... Who are you?"

"'Esun'." (short form of "Pulun'esun'") = "Please."

Can you recognize the new characters? :)


	3. The Bear Hunters

**Chapter three: The Chimeriad and the Bear Hunters**

Gaius could feel Wingul's glare on him, but he paid it no attention and greeted Jiao as he reached them at the entrance of the woods. Presa and Agria were not far behind.

"Good morning, Jiao. Did Olga give you food like she promised?"

"Right here, Your Highness," Jiao replied, showing the bag he was carrying.

"I've got some supplies as well," Presa announced in place of a greeting.

Agria was rubbing her eyes, not quite completely awake yet. She mumbled something that sounded vaguely like "'morning" and yawned.

"Are you all set?"

They nodded.

"Then we are ready to go."

There was a hesitant pause.

"Um, Your Highness…"

"What is it, Presa?"

"Shouldn't you… wear something warmer? I mean, it's going to be cold in those woods, especially if we don't come back before sunset."

He felt Wingul's glare double in intensity, but he ignored it.

"I am fine like this."

The four of them were wearing heavy fur coats—Wingul even had his ridiculous feather cape wrapped around his neck like a scarf—but he did not see the need to imitate them. The temperature was just right for him.

"At least he's wearing long sleeves…" Jiao pointed out.

"Still, isn't that a bit… light?"

"Do not waste energy, Presa," Wingul intervened. "I already tried." He shot him a nasty look. Wingul was always too preoccupied by what he was wearing.

"Let us not waste time here," he said. "We have a forest to cross, a lost hunter to find, and a demon to expel."

As they had planned the previous day, Jiao entered the woods first. From the information they had gathered, the village's hunters had cleared a path through the forest, which they could probably follow for the majority of their trekking. Since Jiao was the most experienced with forest dwelling, he was leading the way. Behind him went Gaius, with Presa and Agria on each side, and Wingul guarded their rear. They walked like that in near silence for about an hour, until Jiao suddenly signaled them to stop. Something was hiding in the bushes in front of him. They waited for the creature to either leave or show itself, but what came out of the bushes was not an animal.

"Prepare to die, eggbear!"

A human boy jumped on the path, holding a big hammer, and rushed toward Jiao, who merely stepped aside and tripped him. He fell face first into the dirt.

"Aaaah, no, please don't eat me. I don't taste very good!" he cried.

"Who the heck are you?" Agria asked.

"Huh? The monster turned into a girl? Ouch!" She had kicked him. Looking around, he realized he was surrounded. "Who… Who are you guys?"

"That's our line," Wingul said, unsheathing his sword. "State your identity."

"Wait, Wingul. It's just a kid."

"I'm not a kid!" the kid protested. "I had my _dream_! I'll be an adult soon!"

"You, an adult?" Agria laughed.

"Are you from the Poru tribe?" Jiao asked.

"Y-Yes. You're the new people, right? I saw you going to Eleek's yesterday. Anyway, I'm Lorak, son of… actually I don't know who my father is... But I'm a proud member of the Hunting Blades!" he said, puffing out his chest.

"The what now?" Agria asked.

"The village's hunters. I'm here to hunt an eggbear!"

"What's an ex-bear?"

" _Egg_ bear," Presa corrected her younger colleague. "Ovo-ursus. A rare species of bear with a considerably developed mana lobe."

"I thought they were extinct?" Wingul frowned.

"There are still some colonies in the Altai," Jiao revealed, "but they are hard to find. I see, this region must be like a haven for them."

"If they are almost extinct, why are you hunting them?"

"To become an adult!"

Agria snorted.

"Man, what's with that look? You really don't know anything, huh?"

"All right, I'll bite," Presa said. "How are eggbears and becoming an adult related? And what was that about a dream?"

"It's all part of the ritual," Lorak explained. "One day, kids of the tribe have a dream where they enter the mind of a bear. After that, they must hunt a similar bear, and when they come back they officially become an adult!"

Gaius looked at the Chimeriad and knew they were thinking the same thing as he did. Those bear dreams they had been having the past few nights… Were they not a coincidence after all?

"So you dreamed you were an eggbear and are now looking for one?" Presa continued.

"W-Well…"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, it was just a brown bear. No one's ever dreamed of being an eggbear, it's usually black or brown bears, sometimes grizzlies," Lorak confessed. "But I promised Ann to bring back an eggbear!"

"Pfft, you'd better give up now. You're way too short to become an adult." Agria mocked him.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Oh bear…" Wingul murmured. Presa shot him a dark look before turning to the boy again.

"You must have heard about the evil spirit. The forest is dangerous now. Go home."

"Indeed," Jiao agreed, "this is not a place for a kid. Wait for us in the village."

"You can hunt eggbears after that," Gaius promised. He signaled to his companion that it was time to resume walking. They fell back in formation and got ready to move again.

"W-Wait…" Lorak stopped them. "I'll come with you."

"Did you not listen? Presa said it was dangerous."

"I know! But you're looking for Dier, right? I'm his apprentice. I can help you find him."

"This isn't a field trip," Agria objected. "We don't need a frickin' kid around."

"Agria, mind your language," Presa rebuked her. Agria stuck out her tongue in response, but her eyes crossed Gaius' gaze and she immediately straightened up. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"What should we do, Your Highness?" Wingul asked him.

"I commend your determination," he praised the boy, who swelled up in pride. "Very well. If you believe you can be useful, you may accompany us."

"Just don't get in our way," Wingul warned.

Despite Agria's protests, Lorak joined their formation and guided them through the trail. He tried to make conversation on the way, but they quickly shushed him. They needed to be aware of their surroundings. They walked like that for a couple of hours, until Lorak demanded they stopped for lunch.

They took a break in a small clearing, where fallen trunks had been arranged to provide seating, probably for hunters who ventured into the forest. There they ate the riceballs that Olga had provided. Lorak seemed to have his own lunch with him.

"Want some?" he offered, passing around what seemed to be smoked meat strips. Gaius took one and tried it. It tasted good, a little sweet even, which was pleasant to discover.

"It's bear jerky my mom made," Lorak explained proudly.

"Wait, what?" Agria exclaimed. "I thought you guys believe you reincarnate into bears? This could be your grandma!"

"My grandma wouldn't want me to starve!" Lorak argued back, as if it was obvious.

"Your tribe is full of nutjobs," Agria muttered, before biting into her jerky. "Hmm, not bad."

"Now, Agria," Wingul chided, "that's not a _beary_ nice thing to say."

Agria and Presa groaned, while Jiao chuckled. Lorak stared at them in confusion.

"Not again," pleaded Presa.

"She's right, Wingul, you should stop," Gaius agreed. Then, after a pause, added in the most serious tone he could muster: "It's _embearassing_."

"Your Highness!"

"Sorry Presa, you'll just have to _bear_ with us."

"We would appreciate your _forbearance_ on this matter."

"All right, that's enough," she said, raising her hand. "Petition for a royal decree to ban any and all bear puns."

"Petition supported!" Agria immediately replied, jumping up with her arm raised high. "Where do I sign?"

"Rejected," Gaius answered flatly.

"I demand a vote," Presa insisted.

"You'll never get a majority here, Presa," Wingul told her.

"You never know until you try."

Gaius shook his head. "This would not pass anyway. It goes against the first article of the Royal Decree of Khan Baliq, which protects freedom of speech."

"Who cares about articles or whatever, aren't you the king? Whatever you decide goes, no?" Agria argued. Then, realizing who she was talking to, hastily added, "…Your Highness. That is how it is done in Rashugal."

"And that is what makes Nachtigal a tyrant," Wingul explained. "His Highness has established a number of safeguards to protect the population from the monarch and clan leaders abusing their authority. For example, the first article is what is allowing you to speak rudely in His Highness' presence with no repercussion. My father would have had you whipped for your earlier use of 'frickin'."

"Your dad sounds charming."

"I won't deny it. Gaius rebelled for a reason, after all."

"Would puns fall under freedom of speech, though?" Presa wondered.

"Any language is covered by the article, be it meaning or form." Wingul answered. "Wait a minute…" He suddenly turned to Gaius, eyes narrowing. "Wouldn't my song be protected by the first article as well?"

"Your song is another matter," Gaius replied defensively.

"It is not! In fact, the more I think about it—"

"We have already established the reasons why your song was rejected."

"What song?" Agria asked.

"We established nothing! You barely even looked at it before you banned it."

"What song?" Agria repeated, louder this time.

Presa sighed. This was an argument she had witnessed before. "Wingul wrote a CM song for the Gaius dumplings. I don't know exactly what was wrong with it, but it was rejected, and he's been sulking ever since."

Agria laughed. "I bet it's super shady. I wanna hear it!"

"There is nothing shady about it!" Wingul protested. "In fact, you can judge for yourself: _'A delightful something…'_ "

Gaius drew his sword halfway from its scabbard. "Say one more word and I will silence you right there," he warned.

"Using force, now? And here we were just discussing how different you were from a tyrant like Nachtigal. Very well. If this is the path you wish to go down, it is my duty to stop you." Wingul unsheathed his own sword.

"Planning a coup here, of all places? I thought you smarter than that."

"Are they gonna fight?" Lorak asked, unsure of what to do.

"Come on, you two," Presa tried to reason. "This is neither the time nor place. We are on a mission, remember?"

"Join me, Presa. Let us put an end to literary oppression."

Presa raised both hands. "Keep me out of your quarrel."

"I'm betting on His Highness!" Agria said gleefully. She was enjoying the scene.

"Ready?"

"No mercy!"

"Your Highness, Wingul!" Jiao, who up until then had stayed silent, watching the back-and-forth from aside, suddenly called their attention. "Please stop fighting. You are scaring the bears." He pointed to the trail ahead of them, where three bear cubs were looking at them, frightened.

Lorak immediately leapt to action. "Prepare to die, eggbear!" He ran toward the trio, who turned around and fled.

"Lorak, wait! Those are black bears!" Jiao cried in vain.

Wingul sheathed his sword. Their break was over. "Jiao, catch up with those bears and try to get information from them. Presa, stop the kid."

"Certainly."

Presa cast an ice spell on a puddle lying in Lorak's path, freezing the water. When the boy stepped on it, he slipped and fell on his behind. Jiao caught up with him in a few seconds and pursued the bears up the path, calling to them with his beastcraft skills. They quickly packed up their bags and tried to follow him, but stopped when he strayed off the trail, disappearing into the woods.

"Let us wait for him here," Wingul advised. "Jiao can find his way back to the path easily, but we might get lost if carelessly leave it."

They waited several tense minutes for their companion, their ears strained trying to hear a sign of him, when they suddenly heard his booming voice from between the trees.

"Your Highness! Everyone! Come and see this!"

They looked at each other and nodded. "I'll guide you," Lorak proposed.

They followed him into the sea of trees. Jiao had started whistling to guide them to his voice, which enabled them to find him easily after a few minutes. He was not alone.

"Dier!"

Lorak ran to the side of the red-head youth sitting on the floor next to Jiao. The three black bear cubs were there too, along with another and what seemed to be their mother, but the latter two seemed to be in bad shape. They were lying on the ground, unmoving. Gaius thought they felt familiar, but he focused his attention on the humans.

"What happened?" he asked.

The hunter, Dier, was rubbing his head and wincing in pain. "I got assaulted last night," he said. "I got hit on the head and passed out, I don't remember much… When I came to, I tried to make it back to the trail and stumbled upon those bears. Ugh, this headache won't go away," he complained. Presa crouched down next to him and took out the first aid kit.

"What about the bears?"

"The cubs told me that they were attacked this morning," Jiao explained. "Their mama tried to fight the assailant so they could flee, but this young one stayed behind to defend her. They're all right," he clarified, "just a little out of it. Those three ran into us while fleeing."

"It would appear that the demon is not far from here. We might have caught it if we had arrived earlier."

"Is it really the evil spirit?" Lorak asked, fearful.

"It must be," Dier replied. "What else would attack us like that in this forest? But…" He trailed off.

"Let us sum up what we know about this evil spirit. Wingul."

"Yes, Your Highness. Aside from a brief appearance fifteen years ago, it has come to this forest recently, beating up bears and scaring them into hiding, long enough that it might affect their reproduction, which would have severe consequences on the environment. The demon—or spirit or whatever—attacks at night as well as day. As for its means of attack…" He turned to Jiao.

"All blunt force, none fatal," Jiao pointed out.

"Now that is peculiar. From the no killing we can rule out hunters and poachers, but what does that leave us with? Blunt force means no claws, fangs or talons—nor swords, spears or bows. If it had evil intent, it would kill. So why did it just leave it to a few hits on the head?"

"Self-defense against scary bears?" Presa suggested.

"A test of strength, maybe?" Gaius added.

"Well…" Dier interrupted. They all turned to him. "I think the attacker was human."

"Human?"

"I-I'm not sure. It was dark, so I didn't see much, and anyway the hit took me by surprise and I was knocked out. But I think I saw a broom."

"A broom? Now this is getting stranger and stranger…"

"It must be a witch!" Lorak exclaimed. "Remember that book Eleek read to us? The evil witches were riding brooms!"

"But that's just a children's tale…" Dier replied.

"Coming from someone who believes in bear-carnation…" Agria muttered.

"Where were you assaulted?" Gaius asked Dier.

"Further into the woods. Actually, now that I think of it… It was just at the entrance of a cave."

"A cave?"

"Could it be the demon's den?" Jiao asked.

"I would not rule out the possibility," Wingul answered. "If our evil spirit is indeed a human, they must need a place for shelter. A cave could fit. It is worth investigating."

"Very well. Dier, could you take us to that cave?"

"Me? But…"

"Do it, Dier! These people're come to chase the witch away."

"But I just want to go home and eat Haraf's omelette…" Seeing all eyes looking at him expectantly, he gave in. "Fine, fine. Follow me."

They entrusted the bears' guard to Lorak and followed Dier through the woods. After a 30-minute walk, they reached what seemed to be a little cavern. It was empty of inhabitants, but they found camping equipment and remnants of a fire inside.

"Jiao's hunch was right," Presa remarked. "This is where they sleep."

"And those are definitely human-made items."

"Hmm? Hey, I know that thing!" Agria exclaimed, pointing to the sleeping bag. "Prinn has the same! It's made in Rashugal."

"Rashugal?"

"What would someone from Rashugal be doing here?"

"Is it an army spy trying to infiltrate our country?"

"In such a remote place?"

"You are right, it does not make any sense."

They looked at each other, feeling this discovery had given them more questions than answers.

"We will find out when they come back. Let us set up an ambush here."

Wingul directed them to conceal themselves near the entrance of the cavern. They spent what seemed to be an eternity waiting, unmoving, listening for unusual sounds. The sun set, and soon the forest was plunged into darkness.


	4. The Mama Bear

**Chapter four: The Chimeriad and the Mama Bear**

Gaius sensed it more than he heard it. Trusting his instincts, he jumped to the side, just as a long stick—a broom, he realized—smashed the ground he had been standing on a second earlier.

"Oh, you dodged? Not bad for a bear."

The voice was unmistakenly human, and sounded like it belonged to a middle-aged woman—though it was hard to see what she looked like in the dark.

"That's because we are not bears," he replied. While she was focused on him, the Chimeriad took the opportunity to surround her. Dier stayed out of their way.

"Humans? I didn't expect to find anyone in here."

"Do not move," Wingul warned. "We will not hesitate to kill you if you resist."

"My, how scary." But she did not sound scared at all.

"Who are you?" Gaius asked.

"Me? I'm just a housewife!"

She moved faster than any of them anticipated. With one hit from her broom, she sent Agria flying into a tree, immediately stepping aside to dodge Presa's Blue Sphere, then lunged herself at their biggest companion.

"Jiao!"

"Got it!"

With a ferocious roar, he smashed the ground with his hammer, sending out a shock wave that destabilized their opponent. Gaius and Wingul took this opportunity to activate their Link and attacked in unison.

" _Demonic Chaos!"_

This time she could not dodge, and took the brunt of their arte. But she was still standing.

"You can hold yourself against the five of us; that is impressive. I must ask again: who are you?"

"Weren't you listening? I told you I was just a simple housewife passing through."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Agria get up.

"Ah-ah… I'm mad now…" She readied her weapon and started emitting mana. He realized a moment too late what she was about to do. "It's time you burn to a crisp!"

"Agria, no!"

" _Pyro Storm!"_

The scene was engulfed in flames in an instant, and all they could do was shield themselves from the inferno. When the blaze finally subsided, their opponent was still standing, surrounded by a water shield. Getting past her defenses was proving more arduous than they had anticipated.

But they were facing another problem now.

"The forest…!" came Dier's distressed voice.

Several trees had caught fire in the aftermath of Agria's mystic arte and were quickly burning up. Gaius immediately sprang into action and started giving orders.

"Everyone, water artes, now! Wingul, use wind to prevent the flames from spreading." They did not even waste time replying and started fighting the fire at once. He turned to the woman. "I call for a truce. Help us."

"Of course."

They spent considerable time putting out the blaze, and their combined efforts eventually prevailed. Many trees in their immediate vicinity had been reduced to ashes, but they had managed to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the woods.

"Damn, I'm beat," Agria complained, plopping down on the ground.

"And whose fault is that?" Presa glared at her.

"Young lady, has no one taught you not to play with fire in a forest?" the woman scolded.

"Ah shut up, this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't attacked us."

"You are the ones who threatened to kill me," she objected.

"But you are the one who opened hostilities by attacking the bears," Jiao pointed out.

"The bears? What do the bears have to do with this?"

Wingul opened his mouth to respond, but Gaius cut him off.

"Enough!" They all turned to him. "Let us all stop trying to pass the blame around and resolve this situation peacefully. I suppose that would suit you as well?" he asked the woman.

"Fine by me. I wasn't planning on fighting humans anyway. I'm sorry for jumping at you earlier; I mistook you for a bear."

"He's not the only one!" Dier complained. "You knocked me right out with that broom last night!"

"Did I? Oh dear, I'm sorry. Because of your fur coat, I thought you were just a particularly scrawny cub."

"Why are you attacking bears?" Jiao asked her.

"I'm here to train," she answered seriously.

Gaius was about to say he had called it when Wingul's elbow silenced him. They would need to talk about that bad habit of his later.

"I came here before in my twenties," she continued. "It's a perfect place to hone my martial artes skills."

"Why do you need to hone your skills? Didn't you say you were a housewife? Are you with the Rashugal army?" Wingul asked suspiciously.

"Oh no, nothing so dangerous," she laughed. "I just felt I had to become stronger to protect my daughter," she added more seriously. "You'll probably laugh at me for it, but I had a bad dream last month. I saw a man hurt her with a strange weapon. I don't know if it's a premonition or just my imagination, but I couldn't just stand there and do nothing."

"You are doing this for your daughter?"

"Yes. Her best friend's gone to the capital to study medicine, so now she's trying her best on her own, and I'm worried about her."

"I understand your reasons," Gaius acknowledged, "but please stop beating up the local wildlife. You are causing trouble to this entire valley."

"Oh, am I? I'm sorry, I didn't know people lived here. Or that anyone would care about bears, honestly."

"Bears are sacred!" Dier vehemently protested. "They're both the valley's protectors and a source of food for our village. We'd starve if you chase them all off!"

"Sorry about that, kid. I'll leave your forest alone."

"If you want to train against strong opponents, I would suggest the Xian Du coliseum."

"Don't encourage her!" Wingul groaned.

She shook her head. "I've already tried, but they don't accept people from Rashugal. Maybe if our two countries were at peace…"

They all fell silent at that. The Shrade Island incident the previous year had left no doubt that the situation was extremely tense between the two kingdoms. And with Nachtigal building a secret weapon… They might end up going to war within the next two years.

"Well, anyway," she said, "I'd better go home now. I wasn't planning on staying too long anyway."

"Will you promise to leave this forest alone?"

"I'm not the type to go back on my word. As for you…" She extended her hand to Gaius. "I would love to spar against you if we ever meet again." Gaius was not sure it would be wise to fight the woman again in the future, but he nevertheless shook her hand. With that, she gathered her belongings and left.

"That was just sparring to her?" Agria eventually said, incredulous. "I was being serious!"

"What a brave woman," Jiao commented.

Presa sighed. "At least we could resolve this without injuries."

"Our job here is done," Wingul said. "Come on, let's move. We might make it back before sunrise if we hurry."

They started walking back, Dier guiding them through the dark woods. On the way, they picked up Lorak, who had fallen asleep surrounded by the bear cubs.

"I still can't believe what happened," Agria continued to share her disbelief. "So this whole thing was caused by a woman who went full mama bear because of some stupid dream? Damn, what a waste of time!"

The situation had indeed been a little less serious than they had anticipated, as their opponent had been open to negotiations, but their fight had proven that they had been up against a formidable fighter. Had she had evil intent, the Poru tribe would not have lasted long.

"There is no waste of time when it comes to helping my people," Gaius told her.

"I-I'm sorry, Your Highness. I didn't mean…"

"No need to apologize. Let this be a learning experience. Some fights are better concluded peacefully."

When they reached the village, they were greeted by acclamations. It seemed as if every member of the clan had come out to wait for their arrival. They let Dier and Lorak recount their journey and how they had enlisted the "demon" into putting out a forest fire (Dier thankfully omitted the part about Agria causing the fire in the first place) and then got her to leave and never come back.

Exhausted from their sleepless night, they all crashed in their beds for the rest of the day. In their dreams, the little family of bears had gone back to playing around in the forest, happy and carefree. When they woke up, they discovered that Olav had decided to throw them a celebration party, and the evening was spent participating in some of the village's various bear-related customs.

They were ready to depart the next morning.

"Just to be clear," Gaius told the others as they were getting on their wyverns, "what happens in bear valley…"

"Stays in bear valley!" they all responded in unison.

"Good."

They waved the villagers goodbye, promising to keep in touch, and flew off to the snowy peaks, southward to their capital, their home.

* * *

The next Undis, Gaius was visited by Oleg, Nalr and Eleek, who had decided to take him up his offer to come and study in the capital. They were accompanied by a small bear cub.

"That's an eggbear," Jiao cried, delighted.

"Proof they're come out of hiding," Oleg told them brightly.

"My father wishes to gift it to you," Eleek explained, "as a thanks for the wyverns."

And that is how they were now the proud and sole owners of a pet eggbear, whom Agria promptly named 'Smokey,' "to remind everyone not to start forest fires."


End file.
